Five Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Despite the fact that commercial truck drivers are held to a much higher standard than regular drivers, many of these individuals engage in dangerous behaviors that lead to serious accidents and serious injuries. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a trucking accident, contact our Altoona truck accident attorneys today to seek fair compensation.

If you’ve been hurt, call our firm today for a free case consultation.

1. Illegal & Prescription Drug Use

Illicit drugs and prescription drugs alike can be a major contributor to serious trucking accidents. Drugs can impact your reaction time, decision making ability, and can cause drowsiness behind the wheel. Due to the size and weight of trucks, reacting even a second slower can cause a major crash.

2. Speeding

Commercial truck drivers are often under intense pressure to meet strict deadlines, and it’s not uncommon for them to speed when trying to make up time. Unfortunately, speeding drastically reduces the time a driver has to react to dangers up ahead, and faster trucks can cause far more serious damage than those traveling at the speed limit.

3. Failure to Look

Big rigs are notorious for having huge blind spots and otherwise limited visibility. For that reason, it should come as no surprise that a driver’s failure to check these blind spots can lead to major accidents. This negligent behavior is often associated with accidents where trucks merge into other cars, or crush cars while trying to make a turn.

4. Driver Fatigue

Although accidents involving overtired drivers are not as widespread as once thought, driver fatigue is still a major contributing factor to many accidents. As previously mentioned, the pressure of meeting deadlines can cause drivers to push themselves, driving longer hours than they are safely able to. When you are tired behind the wheel, your reaction time can be significantly slowed.

5. Other Drivers

Although negligent truck drivers are often responsible for these crashes, many are caused by the negligent or reckless action of other drivers. When people drive their cars aggressively around 18-wheelers, they can put themselves in very dangerous situations. A number of accidents have been caused by people cutting off truck drivers, not realizing how much room these vehicles need to stop.

Don’t let the negligence of a truck driver cost you more than it already has. Contact us to get started.